Are stars aligned? Golden Eagles ready for OVC Tournament

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- After winning a share of its 18th regular
season Ohio Valley Conference championship, the Tennessee Tech
women's basketball team is preparing for it's 31st appearance in
the OVC Tournament, and with a double-bye will be playing in the
semifinals for the third straight season and the 27th time in the
tourney's 32-year history.

The Golden Eagles will face the winner of #3 Belmont and #6 SIUE
or #7 Tennessee State on Friday at 2 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium
in Nashville. The Golden Eagles have accumulated a 6-4 record
against the Tournament field this year, defeating Belmont and
Tennessee State twice, Eastern Kentucky and SIUE once, with loses
against #8 Murray State, #4 UT Martin, EKU and #1 Eastern
Illinois.

Going into Tech's regular season finale, the team was focused on
one thing: winning the East Division and clinching the second seed
in the OVC Tournament. Well into the following men's game, the
Golden Eagles found themselves collecting a share of the 2012-13
OVC regular season championship and much more momentum heading into
the tournament. Jim Davis became the second coach in Tech's storied
43-year history to win a regular season conference championship in
his first season at the helm. He shares the company of Tech Hall of
Fame Coach Bill Worrell.

The 2012-13 women's basketball team opened conference action
with a 4-0 record, the first squad to do so since the 2001-02
season. The Purple and Gold faced a tough West Division leader on
the road and slipped into a rough patch, falling to Eastern
Illinois, UT Martin and Murray State over the course of one
week.

In the face of adversity, the Golden Eagles bounced back with
two key victories at Belmont and Tennessee State, remaining
undefeated in the East, and possibly the turning point in the
season. The Golden Eagles have won five of their past six games by
a margin of 18.8 points.

With an 18-11 (12-4 OVC) overall record, the Golden Eagles have
a chance at a 20-win season if they can sweep to two wins in the
tournament.

The Purple and Gold hold an amazing 44-21 all-time record at the
OVC Tournament, and the senior class has played for the tournament
title the past two seasons, with a 4-2 record. The last time the
Golden Eagles received a double-bye was in 2010-11 and Tech went on
to defeat Austin Peay before falling to UT Martin in the
championship.

Come OVC Tournament time, the Golden Eagles have appeared in 31
out of 32 tournaments since the conference's first tournament in
1982. Tech will play in its 27th semifinal game, and have won
nine tournament championships.

The women's semifinal will be aired on ESPN3 and in the
mid-state region on WCTE TV, or can be heard on 106.1 Golden Eagles
Sports Network.

For single session tickets and special Tennessee Tech
all-session passes are still on sale at the Tennessee Tech ticket
office. For the best seats in the house next to Tech fans, the
Athletics Department reccomends buying from Tech to insure seating
near the team. For more information visit the Athletics
Ticket Office in Eblen Center or call (931) 372-3940.